Fall From Grace
by ittybittyalissa
Summary: While pursuing a subject, Ziva is injured and causes a secret she's been carrying to be revealed.  How is it going to affect her - and the rest of the team?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own NCIS or have anything to do with it or its characters...they are just a guilty pleasure I use to escape reality. :)_

**Chapter One **

"TONY!"

Tony could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a few seconds when he heard Ziva's scream. He had never heard her voice sound the way it had – filled with both pain and fear. Tony stopped to look back, only to see that she was no longer behind him. Just minutes earlier, they had been chasing two suspects along the rooftop of an abandoned building. Now both Ziva and the assailant had vanished without a trace.

Tony looked at the man he was chasing and watched him continue to gain a generous lead. He didn't care if he got away at this point, he had to help Ziva.

He ran in the direction of Ziva's voice, only to find a large hole had broken through the roof. He looked down and saw Ziva's body sprawled out on the floor, several stories down. She wasn't moving.

"Shit!" Tony swore as he ran for the door. He raced down the steps two at a time, hoping Ziva wasn't hurt as badly as it looked.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted into his earpiece. "What the hell is going on, did you catch them?"

Tony held up his arm, in order to answer Gibbs as he continued to quickly make his way down to the first floor.

"No, Boss. Its Ziva. She's hurt – it looks like the roof gave free and she fallen several stories."

"How bad is she?"

"I'm still making my way to her, but it doesn't look good Gibbs."

"Get to her and let me know what's going on." He heard Gibbs tell McGee to call the paramedics ASAP.

Tony burst through the first floor door, not even stopping to take a breath even though his lungs were crying out in pain. He ran to Ziva, and kneeled next to her, quickly checking for any sign of life.

"I'm here baby," he murmured, as he leaned down, hoping to feel her breath against his check. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he felt air hit him as she exhaled. She moaned in pain as she struggled to open her eyes.

"I'm sorry Tony," she whispered finally, still not opening her eyes.

"There's nothing to be sorry for Ziva," he said quietly as he held her hand, and tried to assess the situation. "You couldn't have known the roof was going to give way."

"No...not that," Ziva finally opened her eyes and looked at Tony. Tony didn't like what he saw – he saw fear. Ziva never felt fear – she was invincible.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she said, her voice raspy as she struggled to breath. Tony was sure she had to have broken several ribs in that fall.

"Don't try to talk," he said quietly. He smoothed her hair away from her forehead and kissed it gently.

"No, you need to know," she gasped. She took another breath before continuing. "I...I'm pregnant." Tony looked at his partner strangely, unsure if he had heard her correctly. It took a minute for him to understand the significance of the situation.

"Wait a minute, if your pregnant, then that means that the fall could cause you to..." he couldn't let himself finish the thought. Ziva nodded as Tony swore loudly.

Both looked up as the paramedics arrived on the scene. The attendants quickly pushed Tony aside in order to get to their patient. Tony felt tears fill his eyes as he watched them begin to move Ziva on the stretcher.

"DiNozzo, you're with me. I'll call Ducky and have him met her at Bethesda."

"No," Tony said simply, his eyes not living Ziva. Gibbs did a double take.

"What did you just say?" Tony looked over at Gibbs, his face showing his determination.

"No. I'm staying with Ziva." Both men stared at one another, their faces grim but intense. Gibbs studied Tony for several seconds before saying anything. Finally, he looked back over his shoulder in the direction of McGee.

"McGee, you're with me." He turned back to Tony. "I expect a phone call once you know something." Tony nodded and quickly hurried to catch up with the attendants who were loading Ziva into the ambulance.

"You think she'll be okay Boss?" McGee asked, as the two watched the vehicle leave, lights and sirens blaring. Gibbs nodded quickly but said nothing. He turned began walking towards their car. They had had two dangerous suspects still on the loose and they had to do their best to find them before it was too late.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Not my characters...just like to borrow them from time to time.

**Chapter Two**

"Maybe you need to sit down for a few minutes Tony," Ducky suggested as he watched the younger man pace back and forth in the waiting room. Tony sighed as he sat down in the chair next to Ducky's.

"I wish they had let me stay in there with her."

"I'm sure they will let you back in there again, once they have been able to assess the extent of her injuries. Ziva didn't sound too pleased when they kicked you out either, so I am sure she will ask them to bring you to her, just as soon as they can."

Tony had been trying to decide now for the past two hours, whether or not he should tell Ducky just how serious the situation was. He had only found out he was going to be a father a few hours earlier, and he was already feeling very protective of both Ziva and their baby.

"She's pregnant, Ducky." Ducky looked over at Tony, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Tony stared down at the cup in his hand, willing himself not to look up. He knew if he did, Ducky would see the tears building in the corner of his eyes.

"Oh dear." Tony nodded and blinked several times, pushing the tears away.

"I just found out myself, right after she fell. In the ambulance, they were able to use this...thingy..."

"Probably a Doppler," Ducky supplied knowingly.

"They used the Doppler and were able to find the heartbeat. But, the paramedics told me that didn't guarantee that the baby wasn't affected by the fall."

"No, but finding the heartbeat, that's a good sign." Ducky said reassuringly as he patted the young man's arm. "Does Jethro know?"

Tony shook his head no as he rubbed one hand over his face. "No, apparently Ziva hadn't told anyone...not even me."

"I wonder who the father is?" Ducky wondered out loud. Tony looked at him like he had three heads.

"I am," Tony answered quietly, surprised Ducky hadn't realized it before now.

Ducky shook his head, as everything finally began to make sense.

Tony continued to nervously fool with the styrofoam cup he was holding. "Back last year, when Gibbs was gone, Ziva and I started seeing one another. We kept it out of the office, no one else knew. Neither one of us wanted to admit it, but it was the best relationship either one of us had in a long time. She knew that the Director had asked me to do an undercover assignment, but didn't know the specifics, just that it involved another woman. It wasn't until Gibbs was back though that everything between us just stopped – I think we were both afraid that Gibbs would be able to figure out that something was going on. Not long after that, the Director told me she wanted me to step up my involvement with Jeanne. And with that, Ziva and I both tried to forget anything had ever happened." Tony paused and took a deep breath before he continued.

"Then my car was bombed and so did my relationship with Jeanne. Ziva could see that I wasn't getting over everything as quickly as I was telling everyone I was. So, one Friday night after work, she showed up on my doorstep with a pizza and some beer, asking if I wanted to talk. It was something we had both needed to do for some time now. We spent the whole weekend together, and it felt like we had never been apart. Afterwards though, we agreed that no matter how much we wanted it too, we couldn't let it happen again. We knew we couldn't disappoint Gibbs like that, no matter what we felt towards one another – we both knew it could never be. And we both agreed that we would have to accept that."

Ducky nodded. "Your loyalty to Jethro is very admirable Tony, but do you really think that's what's held you and Ziva back from exploring your feelings for one another? Or is it an excuse you both use so that you don't have to?"

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when he saw a doctor walking towards him. He stood up and walked in his direction. "How is she?" he asked anxiously. He didn't notice that not only did Ducky join him, but so did Gibbs, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Officer David seems to have fractured both hips and has a pretty nasty concussion, but considering how far she is said to have fallen, she is actually doing fairly well."

"And the baby?" Tony asked, not caring whether Gibbs was standing there or not. He had more important things to worry about.

"The pregnancy still appears to be viable, but we are going to do an ultrasound just to be sure. While we've assured her several times that every test we've run and everything we are doing for her takes into account the fact that she's pregnant, she is still refusing any of the pain medication we've offered her. What I want to give her will not harm the baby, and will provide her with some relief from the obvious discomfort she's in."

"I'll talk to her," Tony and Gibbs both answered at the same time. Tony glanced in the direction of Gibbs, his mouth set in a firm line, his eyes not wavering. Gibbs took note of Tony's clenched jaw, something Gibbs knew he did when he wasn't willing to give into something easily.

"Ah, Jethro," Ducky jumped in, turning himself to face Gibbs. "I think Tony should be the one to talk to Ziva." Gibbs looked at Ducky and then nodded as the doctor offered to take Tony to see Ziva. Gibbs waited until both men were out of earshot before he spoke.

"Care to fill me in on what the hell you know that I don't?" Gibbs said calmly. Ducky knew that he was actually more upset about Ziva than what he was letting on.

"I only just found out myself a few moments ago, right before you walked in. Ziva's pregnant," Gibbs gave him the look telling him to continue.

"I gathered that much Ducky."

"Yes, I figured as much, but that wasn't what I was referring to. The baby, Jethro, is his. Tony is the father of Ziva's baby."

_Thanks for all of the great reviews so far. Definitely a great motivator:)_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: Thanks for the great response. Glad to hear that people are liking this story. I hope there will not be as long of a gap between updates next time. As I have said before, I don't own NCIS or the characters - just like to borrow them from time to time... _**

**Chapter 3**

Tony couldn't remember when the last time was that he'd felt so many emotions at once. As he followed the doctor through the hallway of the hospital, he realized that he couldn't put into words exactly everything he was feeling. The one thing about the whole situation that surprised him the most was the feeling of excitement he had felt ever since Ziva had told him he was going to be a father. He had been dodging that bullet for so many years now that he never thought that when it finally caught up to him, it might be something he actually looked forward to. Ziva had only told him the news a few hours earlier, and he had already begun to picture their future together as a family.

Tony stuck his head inside to a curtained off area where the doctor had said he had left Ziva resting. He pushed back the curtain, finding Ziva lying there, her eyes closed. He lingered there for several minutes, just watching her sleep. Seeing her now and realizing that she was carrying his child and it did nothing short of taking his breath away. He had always had feelings for Ziva, but it wasn't until just now that he understood just how deeply those feelings for her went. He loved her – realizing that on top of the fact that he just learned he was going to be a father – it scared him shitless.

"Hey," he said when he noticed her eyes opening.

"Hey," she responded automatically. Tony pulled the chair that was sitting against the wall, closer to her bedside. He sat down, took one of her hands into his own and kissed it.

"How bad do you feel?" Ziva glanced at him and made a face. "That bad, huh?"

"I'm sorry," she said simply. Tony smiled.

"You've said that already, sweetcheeks. And like I said, there's nothing to be sorry for. All that matters to me right now is that you and are baby are fine...nothing else." Tony couldn't help but notice the funny look Ziva gave him.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just surprised that's all. You're taking this far better than I anticipated."

"I know, I am, aren't I?" Tony said, smiling. He looked down at where his hand was holding hers. "I don't think it would be that way with just anybody Ziva," he said quietly. "But its you, and somehow, I know that things will be okay."

"We still have a lot of things to talk about Tony. Its still early to be picturing football games in the backyard and trips to Disneyland."

Tony nodded, those images still running through his mind anyway. He pictured them playing football with McGee and Gibbs. A darkhaired little boy ran past McGee causing him to fall backwards on his butt. Just the thought of it caused him to smirk.

Tony looked up at Ziva and noticed a tear had fallen from her eye. He reached up and brushed it away.

"This baby is going to be just fine Ziva. It has a lot going for it, with us being its parents."

Ziva laughed despite the tears. "I'm sorry, my hormones have been a mess these past few weeks," she muttered, embarrassed by the vulnerability Tony had just seen.

"Oh really," Tony said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Any other hormones working on overdrive?" Ziva rolled her eyes, but took the opportunity to lean closer to him. They both continued to move closer to one another until their lips finally touched, tentatively at first. The spark they had both always felt was still there – maybe even greater than it was in the past. The kiss continued until they heard someone clear their throats.

"She has two broken hips DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Sorry, Boss," Tony supplied as he straightened up. Ziva nodded towards Gibbs and Gibbs gave her a warm smile.

"How are you feeling Ziva?"

"I've been better," Ziva said as she tried to shift her position in the bed. Gibbs nodded his head in the direction of the hallway.

"I've brought Ducky to talk to you about taking that pain medication while I talk to DiNozzo a few minutes." Ziva nodded as Ducky made his way into the small, makeshift room. Tony, looked down at Ziva, and then finally stood, knowing that facing Gibbs could not be avoided. Ziva squeezed his hand in support, before he left her side. Tony gave her a sideways smile and then followed Gibbs out into the hallway.

"Before you say anything Boss, let me say this," Tony began. He had run through this conversation several times in his head, while he was waiting to hear about Ziva's condition. No matter what though, he knew he would never be able to say everything that he had planned to. "There's no way that I'm leaving her until we know what's going on with the baby. If something is wrong or a decision has to be made, there's no way I'm leaving Ziva here to face that on her own."

"You done?" Gibbs asked as he took a sip of the coffee he held in his hand. Tony nodded.

"What I was going to say is that I didn't want to see you back in the bullpen until we have a better understanding of everything that's going on. You're place is here right now. McGee and I can handle catching that other suspect." Tony couldn't help but feel relief that Gibbs didn't have a problem with him staying with Ziva.

"Other suspect? But Ziva and I were pursuing two."

"Yeah, well, the one that fell when Ziva did, made it about 2 blocks before calling for an ambulance. His ankle is broken and his shoulder was dislocated."

Tony blanched.

"Keep me updated." Tony nodded and watched as Gibbs started to walk away. He stopped though and walked back to stand next to DiNozzo.

"You forget something Boss?"

"Yeah," Gibbs said with a smirk as he hit the back of Tony's head. Neither had to say anything – they both knew why he had done so. They both knew that wouldn't be the last time over the next several months he would so do without saying anything. Tony smiled and went back to check on Ziva.

**Please take a minute to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note: Yes, I am finally updating. Sorry for the delay - life has been very busy as of late. Hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, I don't own NCIS..._**

_**Chapter 4**_

"You know what, fine McGee. If that's how you're going to be then fine. Get out of my lab and let me do my work."

"Come on Abby, you know I can't get out of here – Gibbs sent me down here to work with you. I'm telling you the truth. Besides the fractured hips, broken ribs and bump on the head, Ziva's pregnant and Tony's the father! Call Ducky...he heard Tony say it too. He'll back me up on this!"

Abby just shook her head and continued to type on the computer. "Tony wouldn't break one of Gibbs' rules like that...Ziva either."

"You're kidding me right? How many times have we broken that rule ourselves over the years." McGee changed his tone of voice to one that was much higher. "As long as we keep it out of the office, Gibbs will never know."

"Yeah, well...that was until you had to go and write your book. Now everyone knows."

"I'm not going to win this one, am I?" McGee asked, shaking his head. Abby continued to work on the computer, purposely ignoring him.

"What have you two got for me?" Gibbs asked as he breezed in the room, carrying a Caff-Pow. He pushed it into her hands and waited expectantly.

"A lot, actually. Wait to you here what McGee and I found..."

* * *

Tony hated waiting.

A doctor had been in to re-examine Ziva more than two hours earlier, and when he left, promised that someone would be by shortly to do the ultrasound he had ordered. No one had come near them since.

Tony leaned back in the plastic chair in an attempt to make himself somewhat comfortable. He was hoping that it wouldn't be long before they moved Ziva to her own room, and when they got there, he'd be able to have access to a better chair to sit it. If there wasn't, he was going to call McGee and beg him do whatever it took to get him one. Ziva was going to be in the hospital for awhile and there was no way he was spending much longer in the piece of concrete they called a chair.

Just as Tony was about to get up and go ask why no one had come to do the ultrasound yet, a woman came bustling through the door, awkwardly maneuvering a large machine behind her. The noises she made as she entered the room caused Ziva to wake.

"Hello, I'm Jane, I'm the technician who will perform your ultrasound," she said speaking to Ziva. Ziva nodded in greeting. The technician then looked over at Tony.

"You can't stay there."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, somewhat indignantly. "She's my partner!"

"He's also the baby's father," Ziva supplied. The woman nodded.

"That came out wrong. What I should have said was that you couldn't stand there and still be able to see what was going on with the ultrasound. It would be better if you moved to the other side of the bed, up near top of the bed."

Tony nodded and sheepishly moved to the other side. He felt slightly embarrassed that he hadn't thought to tell the technician that he was the baby's father. He took his place next to Ziva and took her hand.

They both watched as the technician smeared jelly over Ziva's abdomen. Tony watched Ziva flinch as the machine's probe was manipulated over the lower part of her body.

"Sorry," Jane said, her eyes never leaving the screen. "I'm trying to push as lightly as I can, but its still early enough in your pregnancy that it can be hard for us to see the baby. We could have tried to do the ultrasound internally, but considering you have two fractured hips, I thought this way would be the most comfortable for you."

Ziva nodded as Tony leaned down to whisper in her ear. "They would really do this kind of thing internally?" Ziva ignored him and watched the screen anxiously.

Jane pointed to a small section of the screen, where Ziva and Tony both saw something very small moving rather quickly. "See that movement right there, it looks kind of like something fluttering? That's your baby's heartbeat." She quickly hit a few buttons with her left hand, her right hand keeping the probe on Ziva's abdomen. A fast thumping noise filled the room. "There," Jane exclaimed with a smile. "Nice and strong."

Ziva looked up and smiled at Tony. He wasn't until then that he realized that the heartbeat they were hearing was the baby's and not Ziva's.

"Is the baby's heart supposed to be going that fast?" Tony asked, holding Ziva's hand tighter. Jane nodded.

"Its right within the range that it should be. Everything with the baby looks great. I'm just going to take a few more minutes here and then I'll be out of your hair. Would you like me to print you a picture or two?" Ziva nodded, as Tony continued to stare at the screen as if in awe. He stayed quiet as Jane, and the ultrasound equipment left the room.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Ziva said. Tony nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"I still can't believe this is really happening," Tony replied quietly. "I mean not that it's a bad thing, because its not, its just a lot to take in all at once, you know?"

Ziva nodded. "I know. And I am sorry Tony, that I didn't tell you before now. For the first few weeks, I was in denial, not wanting to believe it was even possible that I was pregnant. I just had begun to accept the fact myself recently. Since then, I had been trying to figure out the right way to tell you, but I could never find the right words."

"Its okay Ziva, I'm not mad at you. Its just going to take a little getting used to on my part as well. The most important thing to me right now is making sure that you're both okay. Chances are that now that the ultrasounds done, we'll going to be left alone for awhile. Why don't you lay back and try to get some rest, okay?"

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." He leaned over and kissed her lips quickly. "I'm not going anywhere...I'll be here when you wake up." Ziva nodded and smiled, then drifted off to sleep. It never crossed either of their minds that things could change for them in the matter of an instant.

_**TBC - Feedback is always appreciated and is a great motivator!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I disclaim - don'town them, just like to borrow them from time to time. **_

**Chapter 5**

The sound of her gasps for air was what woke Tony.

"Tony...can't...seem...to...catch...my...breath..." Tony's eyes shot open and he bounded out of the chair he had placed next to her bed. He grabbed for the oxygen mask hanging behind Ziva's bed. He placed the mask into Ziva's waiting hand as his fingers fiddled with the knob, turning it on as high as it would go. Then he ran into the hall, loudly yelling for help. Once he saw the nurses moving towards her room, he returned to Ziva's side, and tried his best to calm her down. He knew from experience that when one tried to breathe, being upset only made the task even harder. 

Tony stood next to her bed and brushed her hair out of her face. She looked up at him, her eyes wide in fright, her fingers tightly holding the mask over her nose and mouth. Seeing her like that made Tony's insides turn – in all of the years he had known her, he had never seen Ziva look this frightened. "Ziva...Ziva, you need to calm down. I know its hard, but its going to make it even harder for you to breathe if you don't calm down. Trust me." 

With those words, Ziva focused her attention on Tony and nodded, knowing he was right. One nurse moved around them quickly, trying to access the situation, while another paged Ziva's doctor over the hospital PA. Ziva let go of one of Tony's hands and moved the oxygen mask away from her face. 

"No, Ziva, leave it on, " Tony tried to insist as he tried to put the mask back into place. Ziva shrugged him off and continued to hold the mask away from her face. 

"Don't...want...to lose...the baby." She was able to get out breathlessly. Tony nodded.

"I know you don't Ziva, but first, we have to take care of you. And right now you need help breathing, so leave the damn mask on!" he replied. He tried to sound like he was in control, but in reality he was just as scared as she was. 

A doctor appeared and took over, asking one of the nurses to have Tony wait outside, even though both Ziva and Tony protested. 

As Tony walked down the hospital corridor, everything a blur. He finally reached the waiting room and sat down. He knew he had to call Gibbs, despite the fact that he didn't know exactly what was going on.

"Gibbs," he said, answering on the first ring. "What's going on there, DiNozzo?"

"I need you here, Boss," Tony said, his voice cracking. "Its bad."

"What's bad? What the hell happened DiNozzo?"

"I don't know, they kicked me out of the room. I woke up to the sounds of Ziva gasping for air. I put the oxygen on her, got some help and once they were there, the doctor kicked me out."

"So, it could be something as simple as a panic attack."

"This is Ziva, Boss, not McGee. She doesn't know what it means to panic." He paused and his voice became quieter. "You didn't see the look on her face. There's something else wrong...its more serious than that."

Gibbs sighed deeply. "Okay...I'll call Ducky and we'll get to the hospital. See if you can find out what's going on in the mean time."

"Will do." Tony shut his phone and slipped it back into the pocket of his suit coat. 

He couldn't believe this was happening. So much had gone on over the past 24 hours. He buried his face in his hands and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Various scenarios ran through his head - Ziva losing the baby...Ziva dying, leaving him heartbroken and alone...Ziva making a full recovery and giving birth to a beautiful child, only to later be killed in the line of duty, leaving him to raise their child alone...He spent several minutes, lost in his own thoughts. 

"This isn't one of your movies, DiNozzo. Ziva's going to be fine, so stop picturing the worst." Startled, Tony looked up to see Gibbs staring down at him. 

"How'd you know what I was thinking Boss?" Gibbs smirked and took a sip out of the coffee he was holding. 

"How long have we known each other?" he asked finally. He handed a second cup of coffee over to Tony. 

"Thanks...okay, I guess that was a stupid question. You're right though. I've been sitting here, picturing the worst ever since I called you." Gibbs grabbed him by the arm and hoisted him into standing position. 

"Come on, let's go find out what's going on with Ziva."

**Thanks for all the reviews thus far. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - Not mine...don't own them, just like to borrow them for my own amusement from time to time...

**Chapter 6**

Both Tony and Gibbs stood as Ziva's doctor came down the hallway and approached the two men. An hour earlier, Tony had been told by one of the nurses that Dr. Hanson would be out to speak with them shortly. The two men paced as the waited in silence. They were growing more impatient with each passing minute, especially since Ducky hadn't joined them yet. He had been stuck in traffic, but had called a few minutes earlier and said that he should be at the hospital shortly.

"I'm sorry, Agent DiNozzo, there was an emergency elsewhere that I had to attend to." Tony nodded.

"How's Ziva? Can I see her?"

"She's resting comfortably at the moment."

"But is she okay?" Tony asked in frustration. The doctor motioned that they should sit down. Both Tony and Gibbs choose to stand.

"She's stable for the moment. We think her diaphragm may have been bruised in the fall, hence the trouble breathing."

"But your not sure that's the only thing that's wrong," Tony replied, immediately realizing what the doctor wasn't saying.

"It could be the only thing that's wrong, but no, we are not sure. I think it necessary to consider performing an exploratory surgery of her chest and abdomen, just to be sure that there isn't a tear in the diaphragm, or some kind of internal bleeding that we don't know about yet."

"In all likelihood, that type of surgery would cause her to miscarry, correct?" Gibbs asked, narrowing his eyes. He had a pretty good idea already of the answer and he didn't like the fact that the doctor choose to leave that bit of information out. He could tell by the doctor's expression that he wasn't expecting that to be addressed at the moment. The doctor cleared his throat before answering.

"Yes, there is a very good chance that if we do the surgery, the pregnancy will no longer be viable. But if there is internal bleeding that we are not aware of and its not stopped, the result would be fatal."

"So," Tony began. "Let me get this straight, you want to do a surgery, that you aren't even sure is necessary?" he continued, his voice growing louder. "But the one thing you are sure of, is that that the baby won't survive it?"

"Officer David is still young and her overall health is good. After she's had a sufficient amount of time to heal, she will be able to have more children." Tony shook his head and looked over at Gibbs. For once, Gibbs was speechless.

"What did Ziva say about all this?" Tony asked quietly. He could tell by the doctor's face that Ziva had no idea. "Excuse me," he said gruffly. He pushed past the doctor and headed towards Ziva's room. Just as he reached Ziva's door, he turned around and called down to Gibbs.

"Call Ducky again and fill him in. I have a feeling we are going to want a second opinion."

* * *

Tony entered Ziva's room as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb her. He shut the door carefully, knowing just the slightest of sounds could wake her.

"We will need a second opinion about what?" Tony almost jumped at the sound of Ziva's voice. He was trying so intently on shutting the door without a sound, that he didn't take the time to think that Ziva could already be awake.

"I'm sorry Ziva, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Its okay, I've been awake." She tried to sit up, but thought better of it as the middle of her body ached in protest. "What's the judgment?" she asked.

"I think you mean verdict, Sweetcheeks," he said with a smile on his face. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "That's what I came in here to talk to about. Dr. Hanson thinks that the reason that you were having a hard time breathing earlier is that you bruised your diaphragm in the fall. From what I can tell, that kind of injury is going to make it painful to breathe for awhile." Ziva nodded and studied Tony's face.

"What aren't you telling me, Tony?" Tony smiled as he sat down in the chair next to her bed and took one of her hands into his own.

"You've always been to tell when I was hiding something haven't you? Even when I was undercover for so long, you could always tell that there was something more going on, something I wasn't telling you."

"Tony," she said, growing frustrated. "Just tell me." Tony nodded and took a deep breath.

"Dr. Hanson feels that there is a possibility that you could have torn your diaphragm or that there is internal bleeding that the doctors haven't discovered yet. He thinks that it would be best if he were to do exploratory surgery of your chest and abdomen, just to be sure that there isn't anything more going on."

"And a surgery like that would affect the baby how?" Ziva asked, even though she already could sense his answer.

"In all likelihood, the baby wouldn't survive the surgery," he finished quietly. Ziva nodded and took a deep breath.

"Then I won't agree to it. Not until we have Ducky's professional opinion."

"Are you sure Ziva? I mean, the doctor said that if there's internal bleeding going on and its not stopped, it would be fatal!"

"That may be, but I've had internal bleeding once before, after I was injured while on a mission for Mossad. This doesn't feel the same as it did then."

"So what are you saying...we wait?" he asked solemnly. She nodded.

"We wait...and hope for the best."

_Thanks for all the reviews thusfar - its really a great way to inspire a writer!! :) _


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note**: Sorry for the long delay in chapters - hope there won't be as big of gap between the next update. Thanks also for all the great reviews thusfar!_

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS or its characters. _

**Chapter 7**

"So you're sure, McGee," Tony asked quietly. Ziva couldn't hear what Tim's response was. "Okay, yeah, send whatever you have to my PDA. Thanks Tim, I owe you one." Tony paused and then chuckled. "Yeah, I know you won't."

"What did McGee say?" Ziva asked. Tony had sent him a text message earlier, asking him to see what information he could find regarding surgeries preformed during the 1st trimester of a pregnancy.

"He said that apparently, surgeries on pregnant women are being done all of the time now. Of course, there are still some risks, but its far more common than what Dr. Hanson led us to believe. McGee said that based on everything he read, he sees no reason why we shouldn't agree to the surgery."

Ziva nodded slowly, thinking about everything Tony had just said.

Just then, a breathless Ducky hurried into the room.

"I'm terribly sorry, that I wasn't able to get here sooner," he exclaimed, as he took off his hat and coat, and laid them over a chair. "There was a terrible car accident that's had the highway tied up for hours."

"Its okay, Ducky," Tony said. Ducky gave Ziva a sympathetic smile.

"How are you feeling, Ziva?"

"I've been better, Doctor. But now that you are here, I'm hoping Tony will be able to relax some. He's been racing back and forth for the last hour."

"Pacing, Ziva, not racing. Pacing," Tony corrected her automatically. A look from Ziva told him now wasn't the best time for him to do that.

"I'm sure he's just overly worried about you and the baby my dear," Ducky replied, as he patted one of Ziva's blanket-covered legs.

"Well, I'm going to meet with Dr. Hanson. When I talked to Jethro on the phone not long ago, he told me that Dr. Hanson suggested doing an exploratory surgery."

Tony nodded. "He also lead us to believe that if we agree for him to do the surgery, its likely that Ziva will miscarry."

"No, no, I don't think that's the case at all. Some of my colleagues don't believe that it's the best thing for doctors to operate on pregnant women, but science has proven them wrong."

"McGee did some research for us, and he seems to feel that the surgery would be safe for both of us," Ziva replied as she placed her hand protectively over her abdomen.

"He's right, its actually become quite safe. Now, I'm going to go speak with Dr. Hanson and figure out the specifics as to what he would be looking for during the surgery. I'll be back shortly. But until then, I really think it would be wise of you to get some rest."

Ziva nodded as Ducky left. Tony sighed as he sat down in the chair he had placed next to Ziva's bed. He took her hand into his own, his thumb gently rubbing the top of her hand. He stared at where their hands were joined, listening as Ziva took several shallow, shaky breaths.

"I trust Ducky, Ziva. If he says we should do this, then I guess we should." Ziva nodded, and sniffed. Only then did Tony realize that Ziva was crying. "Hey," he said looking up at her. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

"I hope so," she replied quietly. "You know Tony, it wasn't until I was actually pregnant that I ever thought about being a mother. But now," her voice caught, the pain evident. She stopped and waited for the pain to pass. "But now that this chance might be taken away...its something I want more than anything."

"I know," Tony answered quietly. He looked up at Ziva and gave her a small smile. "Me too, Ziva...me too."

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Tony walked alongside the moving hospital bed, both his hands clutching one of Ziva's. An orderly and a nurse walked with them as they maneuvered the hospital bed down the last hallway that led them towards the surgical wing.

"We're here," the nurse said quietly. "I'll just give you two a short minute, then we'll move her into surgery." Tony nodded.

"Thank you."

Ziva looked up at Tony, searching his eyes with hers. She could see the tears that circled the rims of his eyes – the tears he was desperately trying to hold back. She took her hand out of his grasp and reached up to touch his cheek.

"It will be fine, Tony. Both of us...we'll be fine." Tony nodded and sniffed. He took her hand from his cheek and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

"Ziva, I just want you to know that..." he started quietly. Before he continued, Ziva held up her hand.

"I know Tony," she replied. She gave him a small smile. Tony tried to return it before he leaned down and kissed her lips gently.

"I'll be back there just as soon as they let me." Ziva nodded in response as the nurse and the orderly began to move the bed in the direction of the doors leading to the operating room. Tony stood there and watched helplessly, silently praying that everything would be alright.

Thanks in advance for any reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note** – I'm sure everything thinks I've forgotten about this story, but I haven't. The computer it was originally written on (including unposted chapters) crashed and has yet to be fixed. I haven't decided for sure yet, but this may be the final chapter.

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Tony sat next to Ziva, holding her hand as she slept. He leaned forward and brushed aside a piece of hair that had fallen across her face. She looked so peaceful laying there, despite the fact that she had just undergone major surgery.

The nurse walked up and stood on the other side of the bed, checking the various machines that were stationed there. "Has she shown any signs of coming around yet?" she asked quietly.

Tony shook his head no. "Should I be getting worried?"

"No," the nurse answered. "It hasn't been that long still….I'll let you know if the time comes where you need to worry."

"Thanks." The nurse nodded and moved on to her next patient.

"So Zee….where were we a few minutes ago. Oh yeah, I was throwing out there names for a girl. I think it will be a girl you know…I'm not sure why…just my gut. What about Hannah? That's kind of cute." He looked over at her sleeping figure to see if there was any response. Nothing.

"I'm not sure what you'll think about this Ziva, but if it is a girl, there are two names we ought to consider…the first one ought to be Tali, after your sister. The other one I was thinking about was Caitlin, after Kate. I know you never had the chance to get to know her, but she was something else. I think you two would have gotten along pretty well."

"Both," he heard quietly. Tony jerked up and noticed Ziva's eyes were struggling to open. He reached over and grabbed the glass of water next to her bedstand and held the straw up to her lips, allowing her to take a small sip.

Ziva cleared her throat. "I was trying to say that both would go nicely with Hannah." Tony smiled and leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Ziva shifted in the bed. "I take it the surgery went well."

"Everything went fine. You have a couple of months of rehab in front of you and we may have to see a high-risk OB but other than that, Ducky said everything was fine."

Ziva smiled. "You look like you need some rest."

"I'm fine, this chair is more comfortable than the one I was in downstairs." Tony watched as Ziva's eyes fluttered. "Go back to sleep Zee….I'm not going anywhere."

Ziva smiled in response and drifted off, dreaming about a little girl, with dark, wavy hair and her father's smile.

_Reviews are definitely appreciated!_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note** – Thank you everyone who has stuck with this story. I keep tossing around the idea of revising/changing parts and reposting, but haven't come to a definite decision yet. _

_I hope you enjoy this final chapter. Oh, and I disclaim...I just like to borrow the characters from time to time to escape from reality..._

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**Chapter 9** – _some months later…_

"Gear up! We have a hostage situation at Quantico." Gibbs breezed into the bullpen, coffee in hand. He tossed the van's keys to McGee without even looking up. "McGee, gas the truck – I want to be ready to roll in five."

Tony and McGee sprung into action, each quickly gathering their things. Tony had to hold back a laugh as he watched his partner - and more importantly, now his wife – attempt to reach over to grab her backpack, but found that her basketball-sized stomach was in the way. He nodded to McGee to go ahead and he walked over to Ziva's desk.

"A little help would be nice, Tony," she said harshly, still bent at an awkward angle. Instead of reaching down to pick up the bag, he grabbed her desk chair and guided her into it.

"Gibbs will have my ass if you try to come with us." Ziva shook her head.

"And you will be sleeping on the couch if you try to stop me." Tony let his backpack fall to the floor as he squatted down in front of his wife.

"If keeping you and the baby safe means a night on the couch, then so be it." He tried not to smile, knowing that Ziva wouldn't argue with him when it came to the safety of their child. Ziva rolled her eyes, but chose not to push the issue any further.

Tony gently squeezed her knee, about to stand up, when Ziva's hand clamped down over his. "Wait," was all she said before making a face then gasping out in pain.

Tony refocused his attention on his wife. He didn't even have to ask if she thought it was another false alarm – he already sensed that this time was different. He removed his hand from under hers, and began to brush his thumb over the top of her hand, speaking to her in a soothing voice.

"It's okay, Zi…I'm right here…" he did his best to try to stay calm, hoping to keep Ziva calm as well, but inside he was ready to lose it – he guessed his daughter wasn't going to wait for the C-section that was scheduled for the following week.

After several more seconds, Ziva's breathing pattern began to return to normal. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her body down, before the next pain began again. They had been coming on and off for a few hours now, but she thought it was nothing to be concerned over. This time though, the pain had been far more intense – she sensed this time was different.

Tony continued to rub his finger gently over her hand as he answered his ringing cell phone with the other.

"Tony, where the hell are you? We're down here waiting…"

"You're going to have to go on without me Boss," Tony interrupted. A huge smile broke out on his face. "Looks like our daughter has decided to make her entrance into this world a little early."

Gibbs chuckled and grinned. "Let us know."

"Will do." Tony flipped his phone shut and continued to look at his wife, a wide grin still on his face. She couldn't help but smile in return.

"What do you say, Sweetcheeks? Ready to go have this baby?" Ziva nodded and carefully pushed herself up out of her chair. Tony reached down, gathering up both of their things, before taking his wife's hand into his own. The two headed towards the elevator, both ready to take on this next chapter of their lives.

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_Thanks to anyone who decides to review - makes my day!_ :)


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